Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) personnel, often called “bomb squads,” are charged with the task of investigating and disposing of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in both domestic and military settings. Most UXO is detonated in-place, using a “disrupter” projectile fired at the ignition source of the ordnance. However, in some cases, such as when the UXO is an improvised nuclear device or when it endangers a high-value asset, it cannot be detonated in-place. In these situations, EOD personnel are tasked with diffusing the UXO without detonation, which can be challenging, especially for IEDs equipped with booby-trap triggers and decoy detonators.
One of the tools used by EOD personnel to aid in both detonation-in-place and diffusing is an x-ray imaging system, such as the SAIC RTR-4 system. For detonation-in-place, a single X-ray image can provide sufficient information for aiming the disruptor projectile. However, for diffusing, EOD personnel often find it necessary to view multiple x-ray images from numerous perspectives. Taking images from multiple perspectives enables EOD personnel to estimate the relative locations of components within the IED to ensure entry into the IED at the correct locations.
Unfortunately, collecting multiple images for several perspectives requires physically moving the source, and sometimes the imaging screen. This can significantly increase the time-on-target for EOD personnel, which is undesirable. Furthermore, even when a series of perspectives is acquired, determining the z-position of components within the IED is difficult.